Self love Bible verses for Christian men: Reasons to pursue it
Reading about self love Bible verses is a virtue for men. Image: Tima Miroshnichenko|Pexels
The Bible provides self love Bible verses for Christian men for our spiritual growth. But the same Bible reveals that loving oneself can be both a virtue and a gripping vice.
Today, billions of dollars are spent annually on cosmetics and other ways to improve our looks and maintain good health. Zippia reports, “Approximately $49.2 billion is generated by cosmetics sales in the United States each year. On average, Americans spend between $244 and $313 on cosmetics every month.”
Nothing wrong with that. But good hindsight tells us that a sizeable portion of that enormous amount is spent because of vanity. This money could have been used to help feed the millions of dying children in Africa yearly due to hunger.
Loving God and other people, as well as yourself, is the duty of every Christian. But a thin red line exists between good and evil in how we perceive and apply love within and outside ourselves.
The Great Commandment: The hierarchy of love
“And he said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And a second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” – Matthew 22:37-40
The Scriptures clearly show how we ought to prioritize the direction of love. Understanding the hierarchy of love is easy to comprehend. But the enormous challenge and difficulty lies in how we put it into practice.
Do we really have to put God first in our daily lives? Do I have to pray first when I wake up or before eating?
Oddly, we find ourselves skipping God because we are running late for the office or the meal looks so sumptuous that we must immediately dive in. Other times, our greed takes over, making us refuse or neglect to give help to people in need.
25 self love Bible verses for Christian men
Here are 25 self love Bible verses Christian men like you may get inspiration and guidance from:
1. “After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church.” – Ephesians 5:29
2. “If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself,’ you are doing right.” – James 2:8
3. “Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.” – Leviticus 19:18
4. “The commandments, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet, and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: Love your neighbor as yourself.” – Romans 13:9
5. “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.” – 1 John 4:7
6. “Honor your father and mother, and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’” – Matthew 19:19
7. “If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.” – 1 Corinthians 13:3
8. “Do everything in love.” – 1 Corinthians 16:14
9. “The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.” – Mark 12:31
10. “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.” – Ephesians 4:2
11. “We love because he first loved us.” – 1 John 4:19
12. “Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.” – 1 John 3:18
13. “For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: Love your neighbor as yourself.” – Galatians 5:14
14. “If you love me, keep my commands.” – John 14:15
15. “This is my command: Love each other.” – John 15:17
16. “Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law.” – Romans 13:8
17. “And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.” – 1 John 4:16
18. “Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.” – Romans 12:10
19. “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves.” – Philippians 2:3
20. “However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.” – Ephesians 5:33
21. “Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.” – Romans 13:10
22. “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” – 1 John 4:18
23. “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.” – 1 John 3:1
24. “And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.” – Matthew 22:39
25. “You were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.”- 1 Corinthians 6:20
Reasons why we have to love ourselves
“If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, Love your neighbor as yourself, you are doing right.” – James 2:8
Here are some great reasons why we should love ourselves:
God created us in His image
God created us in His likeness and designed us for His purpose and fellowship. This essential state makes us all inherently valuable and worthy of love, including love for ourselves. Recognizing and accepting this truth is crucial for our mental and emotional well-being and building healthy relationships.
The value of self-worth
Learning to love ourselves increases our perception of our self-worth. Confucius said, “Respect yourself and others will respect you.” When we feel worthy of ourselves, we remove erroneous and unhealthy symptoms like extreme shyness, depression, and social isolation.
Temple of the Holy Spirit
In 1 Corinthians 6:19, it is written, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own.”
This verse implies that our physical bodies are holy and precious. We must learn to love and care for ourselves physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
Healing and forgiveness
Forgiving ourselves is a crucial step in biblically loving ourselves. We are all imperfect and make mistakes. But learning to forgive ourselves helps us conquer crippling guilt and shame that can overpower us in rightfully moving forward.
Love your enemies
It will be difficult to love our enemies if we do not love God and ourselves. When we love ourselves, we build inner strength and resilience that helps us to love others, even if they hurt us. Reading self-love Bible verses help surmount this difficulty.
When virtue turns into sin
The concept of self love is commonly associated with the practice of self-care and self-respect. It can turn into a sin if it leads to pursuing your self-interest without regard for the well-being or rights of others. This excessive self-centeredness can lead to sinful, harmful, or unethical behaviors, such as greed, deceit, or manipulation.
Self-love or self-appreciation is often seen as a positive trait, but when it becomes excessive, it can lead to narcissism and self-centeredness. This anomaly can cause individuals to become overly concerned with their needs and desires while disregarding others.
Excessive self-love can also lead to feelings of entitlement, where individuals believe they deserve special treatment and privileges, even if it harms others. This disorder leads to a lack of empathy for others and a disregard for societal norms and rules.
Moreover, self-love can turn into arrogance and pride, which causes a sense of superiority over others. This vile sin creates a divide between oneself and other people.
Finally, our excessive love of the self can go beyond our inner humanity and extend to the outside things of this world. Our sin of pride and idolatry would include the love of money, possessions, pets, and fame.
God is mocked. The essence of true love is the exclusive domain of God and people alone. Sadly, it crossed into the realm of Satan.
Reading and applying self love Bible verses help us gain the correct perspective about love.
God is love. It is the very reason we are existent today.
